


The Lady of Mandalore

by MandaloriansRevenge



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Star Wars AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2018-12-02 19:10:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MandaloriansRevenge/pseuds/MandaloriansRevenge
Summary: What if Obi Wan had smuggled Leia to Mandalore instead of to Alderaan? What if Jango had avoided an untimely death and settled down with his son on Mandalore to resurrect the traditional Mandalorian ways?What if Leia and Boba met and fell in love?





	1. An End and a Beginning

Heavy branches clawed at her feet as they pounded forward as fast as the treacherous terrain allowed, clutching the tiny bundle to her chest. Her own wheezing breaths screamed in her ears as she chanced a glance back over her shoulder.

By the gods, they were getting closer.

Fear pumped through her veins, lending her extra strength even as her shaking legs threatened to give way. The Zabrak brothers, one too large for his own good, the other too mechanically bound, could not keep her pace, but...

Her partner stumbled beside her, the wound in his shoulder bleeding freely, visible even in the semi-darkness of Concordia. They thought they'd be safe, they thought they could hide here for a time while they made their plans to disappear.

They were wrong.

His strength was failing, and her courage was waning, but she gritted her teeth and pulled him up by the tunic, resuming a furious pace. Ha. She heard one of them, the half-metal one by the sound of it, crash to the ground, setting birds and other creatures of the night into a flurry.

More time. They were supposed to have more time than this. The ship might not even have landed yet...

His gasping breaths stuttered as he voiced her name, once, then again, just as they broke into the clearing and thank the gods there was the ship, her young nephew Korkie at the helm. They were almost there. And the Sith brothers were still closing in.

Her companion pulled himself from her durasteel-strong grip.

"Satine."

He was so pale.

"Satine, go. I'll hold them off."

Not a chance in all the hells.

"She... She must be safe. Keep her safe."

The bundle in her arms stirred, as if aware she was being discussed, and Satine hissed, "I will not leave you".

She couldn't. Not after all this, not after he'd entrusted her with... With everything.

And then his mouth was on hers, urgent and apologetic and so very needy, even in the midst of all the pain.

"You never will."

And then he nudged her back, toward safety, toward the ship waiting to take them away. She watched his back as he hurtled toward the darkness, toward their enemy. Toward death.

A precious few seconds slipped by, then Satine hoisted her precious cargo up into the safety of her arms as the sound of lightsabers echoed around the forest.

She boarded her ship, the child still clutched in her dirty arms, adrenaline giving way to anguish as they lifted off. She knew. She knew with every fiber of her being, that he would ensure their getaway. She knew her Obi-Wan was gone.

But even as the tears tracked through the grime coating her face, she gingerly pulled the thick blanket back, and a sob borne half of pain and half of joy caught in her throat.

Two dark brown eyes blinked up at her, watchful and content. And as she cradled Leia to her chest, Satine vowed to do as Obi-Wan had asked, until the day she could rejoin him.

\--

Planetside, the once proud Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi glanced into the sky as the woman he loved escaped with the girl, the child he'd so desperately protected. And he heard Satine's promise echo through the Force.

The peace he had so desperately sought abruptly settled over him, and, as Maul's lightsaber arced down, Obi-Wan's dropped from his hand.


	2. A Meeting of Heads of State

**Chapter Two:**

**Kalevala, Mandalore System**

**(One Year Later)**

 

It was going to be another long night.

There really had been too many of those lately, Satine mused as she poured herself a drink of water from the carafe at her desk. She carefully repositioned the ornate glass among the piles of holodocs, appeals, and Imperial procedures stacked haphazardly around her as she glanced over one particular document which had been giving her grief for some time now.

_Regarding Military Occupancy._

She resigned herself to the fact that she would have to talk to Fett about this one. Gods knew she despised the man, but as the _Mand’alor_ for the so called True Mandalorians based on Concord Dawn, he too would have received these documents. He too would have seen that the Empire was staking its claim on the future of Mandalore.

Satine knew this would sit as poorly with him as it did with her, and despite the fact that each of them was struggling for direct control for the Mandalorian system, and working in completely opposite ways to do so, they would have to work together to ensure Mandalore didn't fall to outside forces before they could put their own internal affairs to rest.

But how would their opposing factions unite in this dark time? How could a pacifist and a mercenary find a way to combat the menace that faced them all?

It had become a new galaxy they lived in, since the revelation of the Jedi “plot” to take over the Senate had swamped the newsreels over a year ago. Ever since the man they now called _Emperor_ Palpatine had taken control of the Republic, governing seats in the reformed Imperial Senate had been parceled out based upon the ability of a person to grovel at the Emperor’s feet rather than any real ability to govern.

Satine had learned to work twice as covertly toward her own ends, using methods that plucked the pacifist strings in her soul, but at the same time… She had so much to protect, and too much to lose.

She knew Jango did, as well. A son, now rapidly approaching adulthood by the more traditional Mandalorian standards taking root on Concord Dawn. He had a clan too, now, and several more loyal to him and the exclusive, mercenary ways of the past they'd adopted.

A shuddering yawn wracked her thin frame. Shaking off her melancholy thoughts, she glanced at the monitor to her right, showing the constantly updating videofeed from her daughter’s room. Satine could barely discern the slightest movement on the monitor, a rhythmic tapping too consistent and prolonged to be blamed on a restless sleeper. Sighing deeply, the Duchess stood, casting a last wistful look at her work before shutting down the console. It would still be waiting there for her in the morning.

As she made her way from her home workspace to the room down the hall, the sound of Leia’s voice filtered through, and Satine smiled despite herself as a sweet, nonsensical tune reached her ears. When she entered the room, Leia twisted around, eyes bright despite the lateness of the hour. A mischievous smile pulled at her plump cheeks as she recognized her mother, and any semblance of severity in Satine was lost as Leia lifted her arms in silent plea.

“You ought to be asleep, naughty girl.” Satine breathed in as she lifted the girl from her bed, tension dropping from her shoulders as Leia’s warmth permeated her skin. Despite her recent antics, the babe settled into the arms of her adopted mother easily, body becoming heavy as Satine rocked her.

Satine spent a few minutes simply enjoying the feeling of the girl's small body against her own, but then, as she looked down at Leia, sleeping peacefully once more, Satine's thoughts inexplicably returned to Jango Fett.

An idea struck her then, and she knew what she had to do.

She could only pray to the Force it would work.

\---

**Concord Dawn**

“What is it, dad?”

Boba watched his father carefully as the Mand’alor stared up into the sky, helmet tucked in the crook of an arm, eyes keen on the silhouette of the small craft that had just lifted off from the tiny landing bay.

The Duchess had been here. The one who lived on Kalevala and stirred up grief for his father every chance she got. She'd brought her daughter, and a guard, and that was it. Boba thought it was strange, but then everything the pacifists did tended to be that way. His father and the rest of the clans here on Dawn lived much more freely.

But she had come, unannounced and rather unwelcome, if the hard looks and sudden silence from the rest of the occupants of the small reception building she had wandered into meant anything. As soon as the woman had her sights on his father, she'd demanded to talk to Jango in private, as a matter of “particular emergency”.

So Boba waited.

The two of them stayed holed up in the tiny office she'd been ushered into for well over an hour, long enough that business had returned to normal outside, before she opened the door once more, hefting that fat little baby in her arms, and walked back to her ship without a backward glance.

Now, father and son waited until the ship left atmo, then Jango looked down grimly. His eyes were full of worry, and something in Boba’s chest tightened in anticipation.

“Trouble.”


	3. Sparring

Concord Dawn (17 Years after Order 66)

It was getting difficult to hide the bruises and the split knuckles.

Leia flexed her left hand as she exited the sparring ring, balling it into as tight a fist as she could manage through the swelling, and tried not to grimace at the pain. Behind her, two men entered the ring. Almost immediately, the sharp smack of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the clearing, loud voices cheering and cajoling indiscriminately as each man fought to overpower the other.

Uninterested in watching, she picked up her kit and made her way through the crowd, nodding politely at every pair of eyes that found her own. They were still evaluating her.

Leia Kryze. The Duchess’ daughter.

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Leia tried to ignore the jab of pain in her ribs as she trudged back to the makeshift med center at the back of the clearing. She let loose a sharp hiss of relief as cool water flowed freely from the rusted pump tapped into the ground. This was her fourth visit this month, and because she'd won her most recent match, and every one before it, she would continue advancing through the strange system that served as rank here.

When her aunt had invited her out almost six months ago, never would Leia have guessed she'd have ended up doing this. Fighting. Hurting other people intentionally. Putting her own ambitions at the forefront of her brain and using both hand and blade to ensure those ambitions bore fruit.

But she was. And she was good at it. It had taken a solid month’s worth of brutal training, courtesy of her Aunt Bo, for her to grasp the type of fighting necessary to succeed in this sort of Mandalorian culture, and then her aunt had deemed her ready and set her loose on the training grounds. Leia smiled to herself, remembering how hard Bo had laughed when her niece knocked her first challenger on his armored ass.

Caught up in her musing, she failed to notice as someone came up behind her.

“Does your mother know you're here?”

_Fek_. She twisted around, rising to face the man looming over her. Swallowing back her surprise, she echoed blankly, “Does your mother know _you're_ here?”

The stranger, a Concord Dawn native judging by the insignia on his dinged up chest plate, stared back at her stonily as she grabbed her kit, trying to edge around him.

“You're the Duchess’ daughter,” his voice was flat. A statement, not a question. “You are not supposed to be here, especially not alone.”

He took a step forward, blocking her less than subtle attempt at an exit, and on instinct, Leia's fists rose to protect her face. He stopped, and she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, but his hands stayed relaxed at his sides.

She lifted her chin defiantly, “I was invited. My aunt wanted me to see her world.”

He snorted, hands moving to his belt, “This isn't your aunt's world. And you need to leave.”

Leia dropped her fists, shooting him an incredulous look. “I'm not going anywhere.” She stopped trying to sidle around him and instead planted herself firmly in front of him.

“Who the hells do you think you are? My aunt is-”

“A pacifist spy in Mandalorian armor.”

In retrospect, tackling him was not a good idea. His armor hurt when her bruised body collided with him, but the smack of his head against the dirt floor left a satisfying taste in her mouth, and as soon as she hit the ground, her elbow found his unprotected ribs. _Don’t let your opponent catch their breath_. And she refused to give in, landing more than a few blows, until every breath was painful and she couldn't make a proper fist any longer.

He seized the moment, flipping her over so he was on top of her, the crushing weight of his armor making her ribs ache and her breath come in gasps as she coughed up the red dirt her face was pressed into. “Fierfek, hold still. You’re going to-” Her head jutted up and snapped up into his chin with a satisfying crack, but his arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her down.

She could feel the rock solid grip he had on her, and her exhausted body couldn’t hold up. “Get the kriff off me, you bastard!”

“Oya!”

Simultaneously, Leia and her opponent stilled, suddenly realizing the impropriety of their circumstances. Several armored men and women had followed the clamor they'd been making, and even as their hands dropped from blasters, Leia could hear the mutters and questions.

“Gar’oyayc, Boba?” A redheaded man stepped forward, looking more amused than concerned as the other man rolled off her, and even as Leia sucked in a grateful breath, her heart hammered in her chest.

Oh. Oh no. Surely, he couldn't mean…

She shot a quick look at him, met by an inscrutable face as he dusted himself off, brushing the redhead away.

“I'm fine, Fenn. It's fine.” He nodded briefly at the small cluster of men and women watching them, and they slowly dispersed back to the sparring ring, except for Fenn, who stepped past Fett and offered Leia his hand.

Swallowing her instinctive rebuff, she took his hand, unwilling to admit how much pain the simple act of standing caused.

“Let's get you patched up, m’lady.” he chuckled, throwing a glance back at Fett, who was still watching Leia carefully. “Don't mind him, he's just in shock. Can't tell ya the last time I saw someone get the drop on him like that.”

“You we're watching the whole time?” Leia grimaced, glaring up at him as he ripped open a pack of bacta patches. “Mmhm,” he mumbled through his teeth as he handed her a patch, then got to work on a stimshot. “It's my job. And he's my friend.” He shot a quick look over his shoulder, and Leia realized Fett was approaching.

“Look,” she began, scooting around Fenn to look the Mand’alor’s son directly in the eyes. “I didn't know. I shouldn't have said what I did about… you know, about your mother. I know-”

He interrupted her.

“Do you want to get a drink?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Gar'oyayc, Boba?" - "You alive, Boba?"
> 
> Witness my botched attempt at wrangling the Mandalorian language into something usable.


	4. New friends, old enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as it turns out, two mini vacations, one small child breaking her collarbone, and school starting makes for little writing time. 
> 
> But, progress is progress!

“They call themselves True Mandalorians because they wouldn't know what to call themselves otherwise.”

Her mother's words rang in her ears as Leia hefted herself up onto the barstool, acutely aware of her small stature as she wiped the grime from the underside of the stool off on her pants.

The tiny, hole-in-the-wall tavern was packed full of armored beings of every shape and size imaginable, and Leia began to realize that her mother's words, although spoken many years ago, were not inaccurate. She'd never seen such a variety of beings, their armor and weapons as individualized as their heritage. It was a sight both impressive and overwhelming.

“Don't stare too long. Some of them would happily eat you.” 

There was a hint of amusement in her companion’s voice, but when Leia turned back around, Fett only stared back passively, one arm thrown across the back of his chair as he watched her.

“They wouldn't have to try too hard.” Leia grumbled as a Besalisk decked in armored plates almost as big as Leia herself pushed a pathway through the tables and planted himself at the bar.

Leia smiled as she caught sight of the unmistakably blonde head of her second escort, the one determined to be her new friend. Oversized mugs in hand, he dodged between several of the other bar’s patrons as he made his way back toward them with a cheerful grin.

“So,” he drawled as he set the drinks down, the solid thunk of the glasses barely discernable over the antics of a raucous crowd, “What do ya think, Leia? First class establishment, ain't it?” 

Leia took the proffered mug, inhaling deeply and noting how keenly Fett was watching her.

She took a small sip of ale, pleasantly surprised. She'd never had alcohol on Kalevala, save for the dry red wine they often served with dinner, and it always made her throat dry and her stomach heavy. This was a much pleasanter experience, a smooth drink that warmed her belly and made her nose tingle.

“I think it's the best bar I've ever been in.” 

Fenn elbowed his partner and Leia tried not to laugh as the other man rolled his eyes, pointedly ignoring his own cup. “Come on, Bob’ika. Even the lady agrees. Now you have to drink it.” 

Leia eyed Fett over the rim of her cup in unspoken challenge. To her surprise, after only the slightest hesitation, the son of the Mand'alor lifted his cup, tipping it her direction before drinking deeply. 

His eyes never left hers, and Leia felt the slightest of shivers run down her spine. “So,” she began, focusing on the chipped paint at the edge of his chest plate instead, “you're Jango's son?” 

“Mhm.”

“And… what exactly do you do?”

She glared at Fenn, whose face twisted in silent amusement at her awkwardness. To her surprise, Fett shot him a fleeting look and the other man took one step back, eyes still full of the sort of mirth that belied his otherwise steady retreat as he took the hint and excused himself. 

Leia watched him go, torn between the desire to chuck her cup at him and that of maintaining the only friendship she'd formed on this particular planet.

“I do what I need to in order to protect my family”. 

He said it calmly enough, but Leia could feel solid durasteel beneath the surface of his words.

“Including chaperoning young ladies who know how to take care of themselves?” Something in his eyes told her she should probably stop talking, but then Leia never had learned her mother's manner of diplomacy as well as she should have. “I mean, it's not like I need you here. I'm as much a Mandalorian as you are.”

His arm wasn't relaxed across the back of his chair any more. She let go of her mostly empty mug, hands dropping to her lap, partially so they were closer to her blaster, and partially to hide the shaking, but her eyes never left his. 

Leia watched him carefully, wondering if there was a trick to turning his self control off, before deciding she wasn't quite ready to deal with that sort of inter-planetary fallout.

She shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness already creeping in. “I'm just here to learn. I'm not trying to start a fight.” 

“And yet that's exactly what you're doing. Starting fights.”

“I was invited-”

“Does your mother know what you're doing?”

Leia bristled, leaning over the table so she could face him clearly in the dim light. “Does she need to?”

He opened his mouth to reply, then his eyes drifted over her shoulder. Another chill prickled the hairs at the back of her neck. The anger in his eyes had cooled almost immediately, replaced by something much more unsettling. 

If Leia didn't know better, she'd say he almost looked concerned.

The noise level behind her intensified abruptly, and Leia turned her head in time to witness several Mandalorians, all outfitted in similar sets of armor, enter the bar.

She watched, brow furrowing as several of the bar’s patrons cleared out without prompting, leaving a cluster of tables unoccupied near the front of the building. Most of the newcomers settled quickly around the now empty tables, removing helmets and breaking into hastily procured baskets of bread and pints of ale without further commotion.

However, two or three of them remained standing. She could not see their eyes through the helmets, but it was obvious they were scanning the room and its remaining occupants. Leia heard Boba shift behind her, and as she turned back toward him, out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the armored bodies start in their direction.

“Fett-”

“Stay quiet.”

She pursed her lips, watching his dark eyes track the path of the newcomer.

“Su cuy, Fett! Me’vaar ti gar?”

Leia thought perhaps durasteel might be softer than the expression on her tablemate’s face as he nodded curtly in greeting, but this did not seem to dissuade the Mandalorian, who reached up to unclasp helmet from armor.

“Kast.”

The woman's smile was wicked, eyes sharp as they raked up Fett's tense body. “Come now, Boba. Aren't you going to welcome me home?” 

Leia could almost have laughed Fett's lack of reaction to the saccharine sweet quality of the question, if every inch of the other woman didn't ooze aggression. As it was, she kept a secure hand on the blade at her hip as the woman spoke.

I am not here to start a fight.

She kept her face as neutral as she could when the woman's eyes landed on her. 

“Hm. I guess not. Seems you've forgotten me completely. Can't say I blame you though, look at this pretty little thing.”

Fett wasn't looking at the other woman. He was looking at Leia, a clear warning in his steady gaze. 

“Tion gar gai, aruetti?”

She was talking to Leia now.

“I'm a visitor.” She put on her best diplomatic smile and lifted her chin in Kast’s direction. “It's nice to meet you…”

“Rook.” Her gaze was like ice. 

“Rook Kast.”

“My pleasure, Rook.” Leia nodded politely.

A pregnant pause, finally broken by a huffy sigh from Kast. 

“Well, I can see you're busy. Perhaps my business can wait until I see your father, then, Bob'ika?” 

His eyes narrowed in response.

“It seems as though some changes will be coming to Mandalore very soon, and it would be in his best interest to be prepared for them.” 

She leaned in and slid her fingers down the clan sigil on Fett's armor. “After all, Jango is getting older. You know what happens to those who can't keep up with the Emperor's decrees.”

Leia felt Fett react, watched his hand clamp around Kast’s, and before she could even consider what she was doing, Leia rose, hand at her hip.

“I think I should be going.” 

The excuse was feeble, but it snapped Fett back, and he rose as well, dropping the woman's hand and reaching for his helmet.

“I agree. It's late.” He flashed a glance her direction, and Leia was surprised at the warm gratitude she saw there.

To her relief, Kast withdrew with a smirk.

“Later then, Fett.”

He never looked back, gripping Leia's hand tightly in his own as he led them from the bar.


	5. Intermission

“What the hells was that about?” 

They'd been riding in silence for nearly ten minutes, and after their hasty departure from the bar, the cool air and steady thrum of the speeder had been a balm to her frayed nerves. 

It just wasn’t enough to keep Leia's mind from wandering back to the woman she'd met, and the implications of Kast’s words.

She had questions that needed answers.

However, it seemed unlikely she'd find them any time soon. Her companion remained reticent, body solid and steady in the seat in front of her as he operated the speeder. 

The trees sloped upward sharply, causing a sudden shift in the weight of the bike, and Leia gritted her teeth, hating her instinctive grab at the back of Fett's heavy tunic as she slid back against the hard leather seat.

“Fett.”

She gritted her teeth as he slowed abruptly, moonlight reflecting dully against his helmet as he checked their surroundings. She knew the commlink between their helmets was operational, the green light mocked her every time she spoke.

He was just ignoring her.

Entirely done with this planet and the stubborn people who inhabited it, she reached down beside the footpeg and toggled the fuel switch in silent warning.

“Stop the speeder, damn you.”

She couldn't hear it, but she felt his shoulders rise and fall in a silent sigh.

As the engine continued to sputter, he found shelter in a small alcove near the top of the hill, protected from the harsh winter wind. 

Relieved, she slid off the bike and turned toward him, only just realizing how cold it was when he wasn't in front of her to block the wind.

She shoved her hands in her pockets, shaking off the sudden chill.

“I need to know what's happening. If Concord Dawn is at risk, Mandalore is at risk. I need to go home.” 

He finally turned toward her, voice flat and slightly tinny through the helmet.

“That isn't a good idea.”

“Look,” she snapped, tired of feeling like a child kept in the dark, “you can think whatever you want about me, but your father and my mother have both worked to keep this system independent. If that status is at risk, I need to know.”

She moved forward, relying less on the skills she'd learned on this planet and more on those ingrained into her by her mother, until she was within arms reach of him.

“Help me, godsdamn it.” She looked up at him, suddenly wishing she could look him in the eyes.

Before she could say anything else, a chime sounded through the open link in their helmets. Leia shook her head in frustration as he opened communications, turning slightly from her.

She wondered if she could make it back to the speeder before he caught up to her. He was on the downhill side of the slope, it wouldn't be terribly difficult with how lightly she was equipped.

Then the words started spilling through the link and she found herself rooted to the spot.

Leia recognized Fenn's voice immediately. The loud urgency in his words was clear, but she was not familiar enough with the Concord Dawn dialect to understand much of what he said.

She didn't have to. She watched Boba's body go rigid as his friend spoke, and as soon as the link went quiet, he removed his helmet, lips pressed together in a grim line.

His eyes held the same wariness they had in the bar, the kind that made Leia's hair stand on end. 

The kind that told her something was about to happen, and it probably wasn't going to be good.

When he spoke, his voice was low and even. 

“An Imperial cruiser just entered Mandalorian space. Several landing craft have detached and are entering Mandalore's orbit now. Their projected trajectory is Kalevala.”

Leia didn't stop to think.

She had her right leg over the seat of the speeder, engine powered up and throttles primed before his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her from the bike.

They fell together into the snow, the speeder sputtering aimlessly forward before the engines died completely. 

“Let go of me, damn you!”

She couldn't twist out of his grip, no matter what she tried. He'd learned from last time, not giving her the chance to angle an elbow or fist at him.

“You'll make it worse for her if you go back.”

His words stopped her cold.

Panting, she pulled herself from his suddenly lax grip. 

“What are you talking about?” she spat, rising to her feet, breathing heavily in the frigid air.

He fell silent and she huffed in disgust, starting back toward the speeder.

“I don't know all the answers. But my father does.”

Heartbeat thudding in her ears, Leia slid into the seat, thumb at the throttle control.

And then, unable to stop herself, she glanced back at him.

He was just standing there. Helmet at his feet, hands at his sides. Watching her.

She gritted her teeth, willing herself not to listen him. Her mother needed her, now, at home. Not on the most backward planet in the damn system, with a man who only opened his mouth to speak half truths at her.

A man she would be leaving in the middle of a forest, miles from civilization, at a time where his family probably needed him as much as Leia's needed her.

Damn it.

Leia slumped forward and he was at her side almost instantly. Although she could see the relief at her decision in every line of his body, she had a sinking feeling he wouldn't actually have let her get very far.

She shifted back as Fett slid in front of her, securing his helmet.

“Take me to him, then.” She ground out before disabling the link.

\---

Leia had no idea what she expected the Mandalorian headquarters on Concord Dawn to look like, but the sight that greeted her when the speeder's engines died wasn't it.

The low, sprawling house blinked warmly at her, lights beaming from every window. Several speeders and a few larger land transports lined the clearing where the house was situated, and Leia wondered briefly how many people could really fit inside the somewhat squat structure.

She followed Fett, curious despite herself as he tapped his boots on the steps outside the front door. 

Before he even got a proper grip on the handle, the door opened and a wave of light and noise funneled through, bathing them in sudden warmth.

“Su cuy Bob’ika. Cuyir ibic dal’ika?”

\-------

“Su cuy Bob’ika. Cuyir ibic dal’ika?”- “Hello Boba. Is this the girl?”


	6. Bas'lan Shev'la

“We have to take action now, Fett. With the Imps in orbit, Kast and her horde of fools will be claiming the entire fekking planet as their own before daybreak.”

Leia's ears rang as various shouts of agreement rose up from the small crowd gathered outside the safehouse, and a shiver ran up her spine as she left the warmth behind her, stepping into the aching cold that was winter on Concord Dawn.

It had been too dark to see when they first arrived, but as she looked across the surrounding area, she realized the squat, bunker-like structure had been built up against a massive rock face, providing shelter but also leaving a natural clearing that ended abruptly about fifteen yards out, when the grass sloped upward at a violent angle to blend into the face of the craggy rock.

An interesting place for a gathering, all things considered.

The man currently speaking turned about, gauging the palpable emotion of the surrounding crowd, and as he moved, the moonlight briefly highlighted the sigil on his shoulder.

Leia withheld a sigh.

Tor Skirata, head of his clan.

The angry contempt in his voice when he’d spoken only confirmed it. Leia actually remembered seeing him before, from a settlement negotiation session between Mandalore and Concord Dawn a few years back.

It had not been pleasant, nor had it been much of a negotiation, if she recalled correctly.

She knew Skirata’s people tended to stay holed up in their mountain stronghold in Kyrimorut, content to live solitary, remote lives, typically only appearing in times of trouble for Mandalore.

Often as a source of that trouble, though no one would say it to any of the clan’s members.

As the others shifted restlessly, Skirata moved back to regroup with a few others holding position slightly apart from the main group, at the far edge of the clearing.

Leia couldn't see exactly how many were out there, but the thin spirals of vapor as their breath hit the cold air suggested there were more than a few.

Keeping a mental check on them, Leia took the time to carefully observe the several others who lined the clearing, crammed together between the house and the rock face that sheltered it.

So many men and women, all of them armed, armored and bristling for a fight. Each watched the others intently, as united as they were divided.

Some silent cue seemed to pass between them, as they all fell quiet. Several pairs of eyes turned toward the house in unison, right where Fett and Leia had taken up position.

Leia felt suddenly exposed, until she realized they weren't actually looking at her.

The Mand’alor materialized from the shadows to their left, passing by without a sideways glance, though Leia was close enough to see the subtle brushing of shoulders as he passed his son, and the way the younger Fett straightened up automatically, watching his father's back.

She observed curiously as Jango stepped out into the center of the small crowd, even paced and sure footed despite the unruly press of bodies surrounding them.

The man's dead calm demeanor in the face of this upheaval of normalcy was so reminiscent of Satine that Leia had to push back down a painful flash of longing, and a much larger surge of panic as she abruptly realized how much time had passed between the sudden arrival of the Imperial fleet and now.

She wondered how many of the Imperial troops had landed in Kalevala.

If her mother was still safe.

If her people were alive.

Inhaling deeply, she leaned slightly into Boba, reassured by his subtle press back against her.

 _Focus. Listen. Don't let yourself be distracted by emotions_.

Fett spoke into the tense silence. “You’re right. Kast’s message was clear. She and the _aruetyc_ who follow her want the planet, and everything on it, under their control. They will use the Empire to back their play, and they aren't going to hesitste to spill blood on their path to claiming it."

“So we'll fight?”

The question came from a woman only a few feet to Leia's right, whose steady stance belied her combative statement.

“No.”

The voices of a dozen Mandalorians rose up simultaneously, disbelief tingeing almost every one of them. Leia started forward, but recognized only a microsecond later that there was very little here she would be able to contribute without inciting further outrage.

Boba's fingers wrapped around her forearm just after she came to a stop of her own accord, and she shot him a grim look.

His eyes were still on his father.

The older Fett listened impassively as the voices continued to rise, each Mandalorian contradicting the other, and just as Leia felt her own ire rise, Jango finally moved.

His hand found the holster of his blaster, smoothly and without hesitation, and as tense silence once again descended that Leia began to truly see the family resemblance.

The older Fett glanced toward them, eyes landing almost immediately on her, squinting for the briefest moment in recognition before his gaze shifted to his son.

She couldn't tell what passed between them, but beside her, Boba could have been hewn from durasteel. Jango’s head shook to the left and the right once in silent warning, before he moved forward.

“Altogether, we could raise up a few hundred blasters in the next few hours. Maybe a thousand. And we could leave a trail of bodies from Kyrimorut to Keldabe.”

Somehow, Fett seemed to meet every set of eyes, every helmet visor, of every being present as he spoke.

“It would be civil war. Again. Except this time, instead of the Jedi, it'll be Imperial troops. And as _fekking_ terrible as the Jedi were, the Empire will be worse.”

Leia shivered again, and this time it had nothing to do with the chill winter air.

“What do you propose, Jango?”

Leia couldn't make out the speaker, somewhere in a cluster of bodies. She couldn't see much of Fett's face from this position, but she could see the way his jaw clenched in silent preparation.

“ _Bas’lan shev’la_. We scatter.”

A murmur of dissent, followed by a marginally louder chorus of agreement, skipped through the small crowd.

“You want us to run? To back down?”

Skirata's voice was derisive as he stalked forward once more. It was Leia's turn to grip Boba's arm as his hand dropped to rest against the grip of his blaster.

The older man faced Fett, previous sneer twisted to an angry grimace.

“You always were a little soft, Jango. But this-”

In the time it took to blink her eyes, Jango had Skirata on his back in the mud, blaster unholstered and aimed between the man's eyes.

Beside Leia, Boba coiled like a spring.

“Are you going to shoot me, you honorless _hutuun_?” Even on his back, Skirata jeered loudly, mocking tone contrasted by his ragged breathing.

To Leia's surprise, no one moved to intercede.

Challenges such as this were common out here, and circumstances such as these were certain to exacerbate clearly evident underlying issues, but _kriff_.

It wasn't like they were preparing for imminent attack or anything.

Pulse racing, she watched Fett's finger tighten on the blaster trigger.

“The _Mand’alor_ is right.”

The sound of her own voice shocked her, and judging by the collective shift of bodies around the yard, it was a surprise to everyone else as well.

“The Empire is bearing down on us. Now is the time to formulate a plan, not rush into a fight we can't win.” She moved forward into the circle, ignoring Boba as he hissed out her name in quiet warning.

She nodded respectfully as Jango shifted to better see her, still keeping an eye- and his blaster- on the man at his feet.

“The Emperor has always hinted at the subjugation of Mandalore, and the resources our planet can provide him. He thinks we're meant to be used or discarded, and his men have been sent to fulfill his plan.”

She breathed in deeply, looking out over the crowd as she moved forward. “They aren't here to monitor or threaten us, they're here to destroy us.”

Leia was close enough to look Skirata in the eye now, and she made sure to do so as she spoke her last words with quiet finality.

“Throwing ourselves at the troops, and Kast at the same time, will only make it easier for them to end us.”

Jango straightened, blaster still in hand, but now held loosely at his side. Leia shifted her gaze to him, a cautious, tight lipped smile on her face, wondering how out of turn her speech had been. She was surprised at the subtle approval in his eyes as he nodded at her.

He turned back toward the others, reholstering his blaster. When silence greeted him, he shrugged. “You heard the girl. We fight smarter, not harder. Get your people into safehouses. Spare what provisions you can. Orders will follow.”

Tension broken, the crowd began to break apart as they heeded the command.

At Fett's feet, Skirata's full attention was now on Leia, the anger in his eyes cooling as he gave her a calculating once over.

Tor Skirata rolled to his feet, almost immediately flanked by two armored individuals whose shoulder plates bore the same clan sigil.

Their leader casually wiped the dirt from his armor before facing Fett squarely, voice low and even as he spoke.

“Interesting company you keep, Jango. I wasn't aware you needed fine ladies around to fight your battles for you.”

Jango grunted, clearly uninterested in starting another argument.

“Some lady this one is.”

Undeterred, Skirata pressed on. “I'm not sure why royalty from Kalevala would be here of all places. Wouldn't it be more prudent for her to be with her people at a time like this?”

The remark stung, and Leia's lip curled, “I am with my people.”

Skirata cocked his head back as he laughed, nudging one of the men at his side. “And just what makes us ‘your people’?”

Leia shot the briefest glance at Jango, who simply watched curiously. And then she felt armor at her back, instinctively realizing it was Boba’s, and the words tumbled from her mouth.

“I mean... I am married to the son of the _Mand’alor_.”

\----

Aruetyc (in this context)- traitors

Bas’lan shev’la- strategic retreat


End file.
